James roche



-J. ROCHE.

(No Model.)

LOCK

No. 399,083. Patented MM. 5-, 1889.

N. PETERS, Phmrrhlhogruphen Waslfireglon. D. C.

linrrno STATES arnnr @rrrcn .l.-\.\llr ltfltlll l, ()l 'IEHRYYILLPI,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE EAGLE UNK (YLMPANY, OF SAME Pin N E.

LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,083, dated March 5,1889.

Application filed December 14:, 1888. erial No. 293,602. (No model) f0MU 1117mm 7 23 721461] concern lie it known that 1, JAMES ROCHE, ofTerryville, in the county of Litchfield and State of (onnecticuthaveinvented a new Improvement in Locks; and I do hereby declare the ifollowing, when taken in connection with acas applied to a trunk; Fig.2, a vertical central section of the same; Fig. 35, a view of the 1 caseof the lock, the face-plate removed, showing the bolt in the unlockedposition; Fig. 4, the same as Fig. 3, but the bolt thrown to the lockedposition; Fig. 5, a horizontal section through the case, showing a topview of the bolt: Fig. 6, the invention as applied to a chestlock: Fig.7, modification.

This invention relates to an inuirovcment in lhatclass of locks in whicha loop-like staple is emploved in connection with the lock, the staplebeing adapted to enter the lock-case and the bolt of thelock to engagetherewith such as used in trunk-locks, when the staple is a part oi ahasp and arranged to enter through an opening in one edge of the case, i

and partimilarly to those latches of this eharrocking movement of thebolt throws it from actor in which the bolt swings as upon a pivot inthe case, having a spring arranged which is adapted to throw the bolt toeither its locked or unlocked position a flier the key shall have turnedthe bolt 'to one side of the center of its movement, the springoperating to complete the movement in both directimis.

In the usual construction of this class oi. locks the kev has beenrequired to throw the bolt both to the locked and unlocked position.

The object of my invention is to adapt the lock to be sell-locking, sothat when the staple is forced to place it will throw the bolt into thelocked position without the presence of the key; and it consists inconstructing the rocking holt described with an inclined surface againstwhich the staple or a projection moving with the staple is adapted tostrike as it enters the case, the staple or its projection acting on thesaid inclined surface as a cam, giving to the bolt a sufficient movementto carry itover the cent r toward the locked position, when the springcomes into action to complete the locking movement.

I will-first describe the invention as applied to a trunk-lock, in whichA is the front or face plate, and B the hasp hinged in the usual manner,the hasp being provided with a staple, which is adapted to enter anopening, I), in the face of the lock in the usual manner for this classof locks.

E represei'its the rocking holt. It is supported upon a pivot in thelower part of the case, (here represented as a stud, F, standing in anopening, (1, in the lower part of the case 11,) the case being of theusual box-like charactor and secured to the front in the usual manner.

The bolt is constructed with an opening, I, through it into which thekey may enter through thekey-hole J in the face of the lock, Krepresenting the spiudle-bcaring' in the case for the ke v-s ;)indle. Inthe illustration this hearing is a hole in the hack of the case, intowhich the end L ol the lip of the key (see Fig. 2) enters, so as tosupport the inner end of the key; but for this opening there may besubstituted the usual stem. The belt is constructed with a nose, All, onone side, which is adapted to engage the staple. The

the unlocked position, Fig. 33, to the locked position, as seen in lrig.at; the nose M of the bolt engaging the staple in the locked position,as seen in Fig. 4; but when thrown to the unlocked position, as seen inFig. 3, then the staple is free.

X represents a spring, preferably a flat steel spring, one end seated ina stationary point, as at O, in the case, the other end hearing upon aseat, as l, on the bolt. The springseat 1 on the bolt is in suchrelation to the spring-seat O in the case that in the rocking movementof the bolt the seat l passes across the central line of action of thespring that is, a line drawn from the stationary springseat 0 to thepivot on which the bolt turns, (the said line indicated in Figs 33 andeh) so that, the bolt being in the unlocked position, as seen in Fig. 3,the spring-seat is on the bolt side of the said line. Now if it beapplied to throw the bolt the spring will be compressed in the movementof the bolt until the seat P has passed the said line. Then the springcomes into action to throw the bolt to its ex tremc position, as seen inFig. 4, independent of the key, and the spring there holds the boltuntil the key has returned to move the bolt and until the seat P shallhave again passedthe said line. Then the spring will operate as beforeand throw the bolt to the extreme open position. To permit the flatspring to thus throw the bolt, it is made of serpentine shape, wherebyit is adapted to expand or be contracted longitudinally. Thus far thelock is of common construction, and for its operation it is necessary toemploy the key both to throw the bolt to the locked or the unlockedposition.

To make the operation of the bolt automatic or independent of-thc key, 1construct it with a cam-like projection, R, forward of the nose of thebolt, but inclined toward the nose end of. the bolt, as seen in Fig.This cam projection R, when the bolt is in the unlocked position, asseen in Fig. 3, stands in the path of the entering staple, and so thatthe staple being pressed operates upon. the said cam projection R, andcauses the bolt to turn toward the locked position until the sprin -seatshall have passed the said line.

' Then the reaction ofthe spring will continue the movement of the boltuntil the nose has entered the staple and reached the fullylockedposition. In the locking operation, therefore, it is only necessary topress the staple home, and the bolt automatically flies into its lockedposition, from which it may be unlocked with the key.

In the case of a chest-lock, in which the staple enters from the top, asseen in Fig. 6, the cam projection R is inclined accordingly, so that asthe staple enters it will operate upon the said projection and throw thebolt as before described, it being understood that the incline of thecam projection R is oblique to the plane of the staple of the lock, andthis irrespective of whether the staple enters through the face orthrough the edge of the look.

I prefer to make the pivot of the look as I have described, byconstructing the bolt with a stud-like projection upon its lower end;but the construction of the pivot is immaterial, as it may be of anysuitable constructionsay as a stationary pivot in the ease through thebolt, as seen in Fig. 6.

I prefer to arrange the cam projection on the bolt so that it will beoperated directly by the entering staple; but it may be arranged so asto be operated indirectly by the entering staple, as seen in Fig. 7,where the cam projection is shown as formed in the rear of the nose ofthe bolt instead of in front of the nose. In this case a projection, S,is provided, which moves with the staple, and so as to enter the caseinlike manner as the staple, and in so entering will strike the camprojection, as seen in Fig. 7, and force the bolt toward the lockedposition, as indicated in broken lines; but in any case the operation isproduced substantially by the entering staple. I do not therefore wishto be understood as limiting the invention to the direct action of thestaple; but by the term staple, as used in the claim, I wish to beunderstood as including either the direct or indirect movement of thestaple, as I have described.

I claim In a lock in which a staple is adapted to enter the case to beengaged With the bolt, the bolt hung upon a pivot within the case, andadapted to rock on said pivot in the plane of the case, the boltconstructed with a nose arranged to engage or disengage the stapleentering the case, a spring arranged between a stationary bearing in thecase and a corresponding seat on the bolt, the said seat on the boltbeing adapted to cross the central line of action of the spring as thebolt moves from one extreme to the other, the said bolt constructed witha cam projection in the pat-h of the staple as it enters the case whenthe bolt is in the unlocked position, the said cam projection inclinedto the path of the staple as it enters the case, substantially asdescribed.

JAMES ROCHE.

\Yitnesscs:

J ASON O. FENN, R. J. PLUMB.

